


The Starting Line

by fiendingforthesunshine



Series: The Disabled Military Veteran AU [10]
Category: Panic! at the Disco
Genre: Alternate Universe - Military, Blind Character, Flashbacks, Gen, Mentions of PTSD, Spencer and Brendon run a 5k, Veterans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-12
Updated: 2016-06-12
Packaged: 2018-07-14 12:53:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7172543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fiendingforthesunshine/pseuds/fiendingforthesunshine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Spencer and Brendon run a 5k to benefit their VA clinic. </p>
<p>*Set 9 months after Stars and Glitter*</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Starting Line

**Author's Note:**

> So maybe I'm ditching out on finishing the monster than is the final chapter of New York (The Shake Up). 
> 
> I'm sorry. Sort of. Life is hard and very busy and one shots are easy and fun. Here you go :)

“Why did we even agree to do this?” Brendon whined, dragging himself out of the front passenger seat, “Spencer, it’s so early!”

Spencer scoffed and walked around the front of his car to lean against the side to watch Brendon slowly feel his way around his backpack to find everything he would need for the day. 

It was only 6:45 in the morning, which isn’t early at all for Spencer (Thank you, elementary school star times) but Brendon had been whining since Spencer picked him up fifteen minutes ago, and whining loudly. 

“You complain any louder and people are going to think you don’t want to be here.” 

“If it was any earlier I really wouldn’t want to be here.”

Spencer didn’t bother to answer, just leaned over to tighten the laces on his shoes. 

He and Brendon had just started running together again maybe a month or two before, Brendon finally being given the green light by his therapists to do more than walk around the neighborhood. 

Brendon and Spencer’s therapists had the bright idea to convince the two of them (separately, somehow) to participate in a run. Nothing hard, just a small local 5k to benefit the veteran’s clinic they both attended. 

Once Brendon was ready he stood up and shut the car door, reaching out to find Spencer’s upper arm so they could walk to the registration tent. 

Learning how to run together again had been… interesting, to say the least. 

They started out walking around the neighborhood and through the local park, next to each other, Brendon with his cane out but Spencer next to him to give directions. Slowly, each run, they upped the pace until Spencer brought out the old t-shirt they used as a tether to keep them together and keep Brendon in the path. 

That worked until about a week in Brendon stumbled to the ground and wouldn’t allow Spencer near him, clawing at his neck and screaming so loud the neighbors in their yard started slowly pulling their children back into the house. 

Spencer waited it out, sitting on the ground reminding Brendon that they were back home, that it was just Spencer and not the men who had kidnapped them many months prior. He tossed the t-shirt into the street and kept his steady stream of comfort up until Brendon slid next to him and asked if his mom could come pick them up. 

The next time they ran together Brendon just grabbed Spencer’s upper arm and started out at a slow jogging pace. This worked much better.

As they walked up to the registration tent Spencer tried hard to avoid the glances from the slowly ground crowd of attendees. 

Parts of their press conference a few months ago had been aired on every news channel in the country and their visit to the talk show was one of the most viewed segments in the past few years. Everyone knew who they were and always wanted to talk to them. 

Spencer had called Ryan and Jon and they both said the same thing, they got stopped at least once or twice a week by people thanking them, or mentioning their bravery, or mentioning how hot they were. 

Spencer hated it. 

Brendon loved it, of course he did. 

“Ladies love a blind guy,” he’d said a few weeks ago when a college student had borrowed his phone to put her number into his contacts list after he’d smiled at her and remarked how beautiful she sounded. 

Spencer could tell they were probably going to get stopped a few times, not only because of their recent fame but also because everyone from their veterans clinic was there today. Spencer was excited to run, of course he was, but he was almost on Brendon’s side. It was almost entirely too early for this. 

But it was good for Brendon, and for Spencer. Spencer needed to get out more, needed to push all the scary thoughts that still haunted him further back in his mind and while Brendon was almost always upbeat he needed it too. 

The registration tent was being run by the receptionist from the first floor and the art therapist from the Thursday morning classes. After a brief conversation they passed Brendon and Spencer their numbers and directed them towards the start line. 

Spencer pinned his numbers to his shirt and then pulled Brendon towards himself to pin his numbers too. 

“You ready?” Spencer asked, a safety pin held between his lips. 

“Sure. More ready for the breakfast afterwards,” Brendon laughed, jogging in place, keeping Spencer from closing the safety pin. 

“Brendon! Dude, if you get poked it’s definitely not my fault!” 

Brendon cackled and stopped moving so Spencer could continue. 

Just as Spencer was about to finish the last pin someone called out to them from across the street, “Well if it isn’t the famous soldiers, finally back from hiding.” 

Brendon raised his eyebrows and Spencer looked up over Brendon’s shoulder to see… 

Pete. Walking up with a few guys neither of them had met before. 

“Came all the way across town from a run,” Pete smiled, waving a small wave at Spencer, “but you can’t even make it to soccer practice.” 

Brendon’s frown turned upside down and he pulled away from Spencer, who squawked at losing the number again. 

“Pete! I didn’t know you ran anywhere other than a soccer field!” 

Pete shrugged at Spencer and wrapped his arms around Brendon before going in for a hug from Spencer too, “Well, if I can raise some money from a few new soccer balls I’ll go anywhere, also there’s free food.” 

Spencer pulled Brendon back towards his side so he could finish the last safety pin for Brendon’s number as he and Pete traded insults about their soccer skills. 

“Runners!” the disembodied voice of the clinic’s director called over the speakers, “we start in five minutes, please make your way to the start line!” 

Brendon reached out for Spencer’s arm and punched Pete lightly in the side as they walked over towards the start line, “Pete, I bet we can beat you.”

 

“Oh, really?” Pete bumped into Brendon’s side and laughed, “what are we putting on the line?”

“If we win you have to tell the entire soccer club that you think I’m a better soccer player than you. Oh, and you have to buy us both a beer the next time we go out.” 

Pete spared at glance at Spencer, who shrugged, and cracked a smile. 

“You’re on.”


End file.
